More than 75 million adolescent girls live in Africa, more than one in ten worldwide. Yet they continue to face profound inequalities in access to education, health, and protection. To change this reality, Dakar is hosting the West and Central Africa Regional Girls' Summit on October 10 and 11, organized as part of the International Day of the Girl Child, celebrated on October 11.

Held under the leadership of the Ministry of Family, Social Action and Solidarity, this meeting aims to build a common agenda for the protection, education and empowerment of African girls.

 

UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Gilles Fagninou

stressed the importance of investing in women's potential. "Where a girl is given a small opportunity, the return on investment for the community and the nation is unmatched," he said.

 

For her part, Minister Maïmouna Dièye praised the summit's participatory and inclusive approach. "The agenda that will be consolidated from our work will be driven by girls and for girls," she said, emphasizing that this approach places the main beneficiaries at the heart of decisions. For Ms. Dièye, the priorities are clearly defined: eradicating early marriage, female genital mutilation, and all forms of gender-based violence, while guaranteeing every girl access to education and healthcare.

 

The Minister also recalled that this initiative is part of the momentum behind the United Nations and African Union Agendas 2030 and 2063, as well as the historic struggle of African women. "Thirty years earlier, right here in Dakar, African women adopted the common position that would form the basis of the 1995 Beijing Platform. Today, we must honor the promises that remained unfulfilled," she emphasized, welcoming the "plural and multifaceted" participation of the delegations, a symbol of governments' commitment to making the future of girls a strategic priority.

 

Host country Senegal has already taken a head start with its National Agenda for the Girl Child, structured around eight key priorities. Other countries in the region will also present their national action plans during workshops and panels scheduled over the two days.

 

The summit will feature discussions on public and private financing, as well as an intergenerational dialogue bringing together young women and authorities, including President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. To close, the African Renaissance Monument will be illuminated on October 10 and 11, a symbol of a continent that is counting on its young women to change its destiny.

 

"The girl I am, the change I lead" is the theme of the International Day of the Girl Child. UNESCO, for its part, will focus on education and the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which continue to inspire the struggle for equality and the empowerment of girls around the world.